Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Aspect (2001), Hardcover, 448 pages
Description
In a dark and perilous realm, a nameless outcast seeks a voice, a past, and a future: "A dazzling debut" (Jennifer Roberson). In all of Erith, there is perhaps no one as wretched as the nameless mute foundling confined to the lowest depths of Isse Tower. Abused by many and despised by all, the pathetic creature lives without memories in the shadows. The amnesiac longs to escape--to roam the wild landscape in search of a past, a name, a destiny--but dangers surround the tower. Only flying ships and majestic winged horses carrying important visitors can reach the castle safely, landing high above the ground on its battlements. The local servants whisper about malevolent creatures that roam the forests and bear no love for humankind. Escape seems impossible in this treacherous world of wights and monsters. Praised as Australia's J. R. R. Tolkien, Cecilia Dart-Thornton has set a towering new standard for fantasy fiction, earning the respect and acclaim of readers, reviewers, and some of the world's most renowned fantasists. With roots firmly embedded in the ancient folklore of the British Isles, The Ill-Made Mute--the opening volume of Dart-Thornton's magnificent Bitterbynde Trilogy--introduces fantasy lovers to an unforgettable character whose remarkable adventures rival the epic trials of the Bagginses and the tales of The Silmarillion. … (more)
Media reviews
Featuring a courageous and unusual heroine, this series opener belongs in most fantasy collections.
User reviews
LibraryThing member felius
I picked up a second-hand copy of this some time ago after beeing told "you must read this book". It was apparently critically acclaimed, but few people I know had read it. My wife tried to read it first (as I was already working through a stack) and gave not without getting very far through it.
The
However this really is a book that rewards persistence, as it presents an extremely well realised world and picks up pace toward the end, leaving you with a climax that should have you reaching for the second in the series.
The world in which the events of the book take place is not really your standard fantasy fare, and draws mostly on the mythology of the British Isles for its fantastic elements. However I was particularly pleased to see the subtle inclusion of Australian fauna and flora in descriptions of the wilderness through which the protagonist and her companions travel.
The protagonist has the genre conventions of a past shrouded in mystery of which they themselves are unaware, but the reliance on wit and determination rather than swordplay or magic is refreshing.
It took me a while to get into this, but by the end I was desperate for more. I eagerly look forward to reading the second volume in the series.
The
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book starts off slowly, and the florid prose takes some adjustment. Scenes are frequently described in great visual detail, in language that may require you to occasionally reach for a dictionary (and I consider myself to have a pretty decent vocabulary at hand).However this really is a book that rewards persistence, as it presents an extremely well realised world and picks up pace toward the end, leaving you with a climax that should have you reaching for the second in the series.
The world in which the events of the book take place is not really your standard fantasy fare, and draws mostly on the mythology of the British Isles for its fantastic elements. However I was particularly pleased to see the subtle inclusion of Australian fauna and flora in descriptions of the wilderness through which the protagonist and her companions travel.
The protagonist has the genre conventions of a past shrouded in mystery of which they themselves are unaware, but the reliance on wit and determination rather than swordplay or magic is refreshing.
It took me a while to get into this, but by the end I was desperate for more. I eagerly look forward to reading the second volume in the series.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Gently appealing. Another new austrailian fantasy writer's debut novel, that is worth looking out for.
Once upon a time in a distant continent the races of the fae and ancestors of man lived in harmony. Some ancient tragedy caused disquiet between the fair folk who left, and the fae who faded and
Some 1000 years later, after a kingdom formed, splintered and remerged, a child arrives. Discovered facedown in a clump of the most noxious paradoxis ivy the face is horrendously disfigured. The the shock appears to have taken the child's voice for it is mute and memoryless. Raised as the lowliest of servants in a King's way station, the nameless child soon manages to learn more about the world. And as it's situation doesn't improve the child decides to escape and take it's chances with the seelie infested wilds - even if this means leaving it's sole joy: the wonderful flying horses of the tower.
An intriguing blend of Irish, Scottish and Faerie lore. At times the descriptions run overly long, but generally the prose is gracefully slow and takes delight in well crafted world. If I'm going to be picky it suffers from some of the normal problems of the 1st book of fantasy trilogy: The world exists of only one small continent, the hero embarks on a long Quest Journey travelling through unusual locals and having adventures that have little relevance, characters appear and fade away as the hero passes through, there are large chunks of exposition to get the reader up-to-date with the world's history, and of course much of the plot and details of the hero remain unexplained. However many of these are much less badly done than in many similar works, and we are spared the usual assortment of companions.
The characters are well drawn, even if lacking in depth at times, the problems associated with muteness and disfigurement of the hero are realistically - if somewhat easily habituated- described. The world is great, a very imaginative blend, with a lot of wilderness and not much farmed land to support he populations, and a vast population of wights seem to make normal life very difficult - but again intriguingly depicted. Sometimes the boundaries from one landscape to another seemed a bit coarse, but again it's a minor issue.
The appeal lasts throughout, with plenty of unexplained hooks left to set the catch for the next installment. I'm looking forward to it.
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Once upon a time in a distant continent the races of the fae and ancestors of man lived in harmony. Some ancient tragedy caused disquiet between the fair folk who left, and the fae who faded and
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divided into the seelie and unseelie wights, left to trouble mankind. Some 1000 years later, after a kingdom formed, splintered and remerged, a child arrives. Discovered facedown in a clump of the most noxious paradoxis ivy the face is horrendously disfigured. The the shock appears to have taken the child's voice for it is mute and memoryless. Raised as the lowliest of servants in a King's way station, the nameless child soon manages to learn more about the world. And as it's situation doesn't improve the child decides to escape and take it's chances with the seelie infested wilds - even if this means leaving it's sole joy: the wonderful flying horses of the tower.
An intriguing blend of Irish, Scottish and Faerie lore. At times the descriptions run overly long, but generally the prose is gracefully slow and takes delight in well crafted world. If I'm going to be picky it suffers from some of the normal problems of the 1st book of fantasy trilogy: The world exists of only one small continent, the hero embarks on a long Quest Journey travelling through unusual locals and having adventures that have little relevance, characters appear and fade away as the hero passes through, there are large chunks of exposition to get the reader up-to-date with the world's history, and of course much of the plot and details of the hero remain unexplained. However many of these are much less badly done than in many similar works, and we are spared the usual assortment of companions.
The characters are well drawn, even if lacking in depth at times, the problems associated with muteness and disfigurement of the hero are realistically - if somewhat easily habituated- described. The world is great, a very imaginative blend, with a lot of wilderness and not much farmed land to support he populations, and a vast population of wights seem to make normal life very difficult - but again intriguingly depicted. Sometimes the boundaries from one landscape to another seemed a bit coarse, but again it's a minor issue.
The appeal lasts throughout, with plenty of unexplained hooks left to set the catch for the next installment. I'm looking forward to it.
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LibraryThing member stubbyfingers
I really, really didn't like this book. It was a struggle for me to finish. The only reason I did was because I read a review saying they liked the romance in this book and I'm a sucker for romance. But the romance here is very, very minimal, so don't let that be your reason for reading this!'
I'm
Another complaint is a definite feeling that the author wrote this with a thesaurus open on the desk beside her. She used very few words I didn't understand, she just used lots that barely fit the situation. I found this to be annoying.
The only good thing I have to say about this book is the way the author incorporated actual folklore from Scotland, Wales and the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The presence of creatures from this lore was the only constant in this book. This was great, except it got old really fast. Strange malevolent or mischievous magical creatures show up many times every day in the characters' lives, and despite the characters' absolute terror of these creatures, they rarely do any actual harm. Boring.
I'm
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not a writer, but once when I was in high school I decided to write a really long story. A few pages in I got bored and switched the story line completely, mid-story. A few pages after that, I changed it again. In a few more pages I changed it again, and a few pages after that I gave up and killed off all the characters. Needless to say, that was an awful story I wrote. This book reminds me very much of that story. There are three distinct sections of this book in which the characters are completely different (including the main character!) and even the world is completely different. It just doesn't work. I found the world-building to be very interesting in the first section and was disappointed when it disappeared never to return.Another complaint is a definite feeling that the author wrote this with a thesaurus open on the desk beside her. She used very few words I didn't understand, she just used lots that barely fit the situation. I found this to be annoying.
The only good thing I have to say about this book is the way the author incorporated actual folklore from Scotland, Wales and the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The presence of creatures from this lore was the only constant in this book. This was great, except it got old really fast. Strange malevolent or mischievous magical creatures show up many times every day in the characters' lives, and despite the characters' absolute terror of these creatures, they rarely do any actual harm. Boring.
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LibraryThing member meow9th
I really disliked this book because of the long-winded yet irrelevant descriptions and stories-within-stories, slow-moving plot, unsympathetic characters and trite, unbelievable ending.
The descriptions were torturous in their detail and use of specific vocabulary; reading them were as bad as
The stories-within-stories (e.g., told in the kitchen by the servants after the workday is over) were pretty much irrelevant to world-building, entertainment, or any other purpose I can think of. Pretty much all they established was that the world-building drew from Celtic/Gaelic faerie mythology. You want a really good treatment stories-within-stories, read The Orphan's Tale duology by Catherynne Valente.
The descriptions were torturous in their detail and use of specific vocabulary; reading them were as bad as
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reading my worst textbook. Some amount of detail and topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., sailing jargon) adds verisimilitude; Dart-Thornton takes it way, way beyond what is optimal.The stories-within-stories (e.g., told in the kitchen by the servants after the workday is over) were pretty much irrelevant to world-building, entertainment, or any other purpose I can think of. Pretty much all they established was that the world-building drew from Celtic/Gaelic faerie mythology. You want a really good treatment stories-within-stories, read The Orphan's Tale duology by Catherynne Valente.
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LibraryThing member epeeblade
I enjoyed this first book. I liked the set up, the main character and how it ended. However, the rest of the trilogy tanks, and I cannot in good conscience recommend a book that ends with such a terrible conclusion.
LibraryThing member PitcherBooks
An enthralling read. Couldn't put it down.
Wish the rest of the series were even one quarter as good :-(
Wish the rest of the series were even one quarter as good :-(
LibraryThing member krisiti
Odd book. Was wavering between "decent" and "eh', but I really liked the use of Celtic folk tales, so I was generous. She made a world where legendary folk-tale happenings were part of common, everyday life, but very different from books like One for the Morning Glory, or Bridge of Birds. The
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people were more like the historical Irish who told those tales, down to earth and unlovely and afraid.I wish she'd found a better tale to set in her background. And written it with more skill. Lots of awkward phrasings, and thud and blunder pretentiousness.I would have liked it better if the ill-made mute hadn't turned out to be utterly beautiful, under her bumps. And I could understand the mud drawing out the poison, but how did it deal with the scaring from the badly done cure? A few marks would have made the whole thing much more realistic.I didn't like Thorn either. Hyper-competant Aragorn type, only without the touches which made Aragorn human and interesting.I'm often critical after reading, rarely so much while reading. But there was still much that was interesting there, underneath the clumsiness. Maybe she'll improve. Show Less
LibraryThing member sweird
It took me forever to get into this book. I'd start with the first chapter and give up 5 pages in about 3 different times over 3 different years. The story follows a mute amnesiac with a disfiguring face poisoning brought about by diving head first into some Paradox Ivy (a perfectly normal plant in
If nothing else, the book is very clever for negotiating all the hurdles set up for its protagonist with great skill. As she journeys, she overcomes some, but not all of her handicaps, and we're left with some intriguing mysteries. I liked her companions a great deal, and the ways they react to her (except the ranger) are realistic and very human.
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this world) within the first two pages. The amnesiac in question gets rescued by a servant in a tower of the Stormriders - a nobility who fly above the world on winged horses and a metal that repels the ground, but not the water. After some time, the amnesiac escapes the tower on a flying ship, which is then destroyed by air pirates. Through the friendship of one of those pirates, the amnesiac actually learns that he's a she, gets a name, and learns sign language. The story carries these two forward from their escape off the pirate vessel, toward buried treasure, and then into the home of the pirate's sister. The amnesiac makes more friends and more enemies, eventually setting off to the royal city with news of the aforementioned buried treasure for the king. The caravan is attacked, and she is separated from all but one of her companions. They meet up with a handsome ranger, who guides them to safety while the mute amnesiac falls for him rather suddenly and swiftly. At their parting at the end of the book, he gifts her with a kiss, takes 3 strands of her hair, and she runs off to a healing woman who restores her face. With the restoration of her face comes the restoration of her voice - but not her memory.If nothing else, the book is very clever for negotiating all the hurdles set up for its protagonist with great skill. As she journeys, she overcomes some, but not all of her handicaps, and we're left with some intriguing mysteries. I liked her companions a great deal, and the ways they react to her (except the ranger) are realistic and very human.
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LibraryThing member LisMB
Love this book. I didn't know anything about it when I started reading it. Now I look forward to the other books in this series. Delightful
LibraryThing member Alissa-
Very nice, with an original main protagonist and very interesting characters. The story is compelling, the world-building solid and there are many delightful details of folklore and story-telling. Epic fantasy at its purest, with quests, treasures and all. Unfortunately, the pace is a bit slow
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-particularly and the beginning, when the reader absorbs a lot of information along with the amnesiac protagonist- and too much care in descriptions (and sometimes endless lists of objects and foods, or long songs) makes for a difficult reading at times, but on to the next book! Show Less
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
Although it's definitely not "serious" literature, I couldn't help liking this book. A mix of original high fantasy, Celtic legend, and escapist romance come together in a dazzling – if not all that substantial – mélange.
A youth, face hideously scarred and bearing other marks of violence, is
Dart-Thornton's language is full of rich and gorgeous details. The reader gets to know precisely what each character might be wearing, how rooms are furnished, etc. This might seem annoying – but she makes it work. She also works in a wealth of old folktales (with a bibliography of their sources at the end.)
A youth, face hideously scarred and bearing other marks of violence, is
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found unconscious and brought to Isse Tower, a Stormrider's outpost. Deformed and ugly, and suffering from amnesia, the youth is reviled and works as a drudge – the lowest of the low. Driven to escape on one of the floating skyships, an adventure is in the offing - involving pirates, hidden treasure, dangerous wastelands filled with fantastic dangers, brigands, and, of course, a mysterious and gorgeous love-interest.Dart-Thornton's language is full of rich and gorgeous details. The reader gets to know precisely what each character might be wearing, how rooms are furnished, etc. This might seem annoying – but she makes it work. She also works in a wealth of old folktales (with a bibliography of their sources at the end.)
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Subjects
Awards
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel — 2001)
Original publication date
2001
Physical description
448 p.; 8.9 inches
ISBN
0446528323 / 9780446528320